Brinda Ambal, Opinions Editor
She/her/hers
Grade: 11
Years on Staff: 3
What has been your favorite quarantine hobby? Hiking with my friends and family
Is a hot dog a sandwich? Yes, it's bread with stuff in the middle
Who is someone that inspires you? Chris Ernst (1976 Yale Crew)
![Jamming out to “Don’t Stop” by DJ D-Sol, teachers Jeff Chazen, Jessica Wheeler and Katelyn Arenos get ready to ramp up the endorphins. When teacher Emily Lovercheck is not able to make it to the spin sessions, Arenos takes over leading the class with her playlist. “Music, especially with spinning, dictates how fast we go, if we add resistance [and] if we get a break. When the song speeds up, we speed up. When the song slows down, we slow down,” Arenos said. “I’m just really thankful that the school provides us with this opportunity to have a nice workout center. We are just thankful to have this space.”](https://PWestPathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/TeacherSpin-900x622.jpg)
![Junior Arden Dickson acts out applying makeup onstage. Dickson believes that acting teaches you how to tell a story, which is also important for singing. This led her to create her blog where she shares her experiences with friends and family. “I have heard people [respond with] ‘thank you for sharing’ or ‘I have been in a similar situation myself,’ so it's good to hear that other people are also facing similar situations and that my work is helping others.”](https://PWestPathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/IMG-3659-900x600.jpg)
![Writing a Teacher of the Year nomination note in World History teacher Amy Thornhill’s class, sophomore Kate Yates gets the opportunity to thank her teacher of choice, as well as possibly nominate them as Teacher of the Year. “[Teachers] spend so much time and effort to teach us and make sure we understand the content. We need a way to appreciate them so they know we are thankful for everything they do for us,” Yates said. “We should [have a say] because we spend the most time with [teachers]. We are the ones in their classes all day.”](https://PWestPathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/DSC_0053-900x600.jpg)
![At the end of her second tennis season, sophomore Lucy Billadeau prepares to hit a backhand. Billadeau cherished the banquet and the relationships she formed with all the girls and her doubles partners. “I was doubles partner with different people; I got switched around a lot. A lot of other doubles partners make up handshakes and little things to do in between each point to keep their morale high. When I was partners with [junior] Sarenna Wood, we did some dragonfly move we made up,” Billadeau said. “The biggest things that motivate me are my partners––you never want to let them down. It also motivates me to know that even if I do lose, I am getting better, and I am improving.”](https://PWestPathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/brinda-ambal-900x600.jpg)
![Feeding a live mouse to snake Tupac Tuba Gilbert Scott the Seventh, junior Nev Hill snatches a front-row view as classmates crowd around to watch the spectacle unfold. It is strongly suggested for students in Zoology, a course taught by science teacher Amy Cohen (not pictured), to own or co-own a pet. “[People who are scared] should just meet my snake because she’s really sweet. I think they just need to get over the initial fear factor and just realize that they’re really sweet animals [that] aren’t going to hurt anybody,” Hill said. “[My snake] is cute, and she is just there. She has never bitten anyone [and] never would bite anybody. She just sits there and wants to cuddle and be warm around your neck or your hand.”](https://PWestPathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/NevHillPOW-900x600.jpg)
![Highlighting the importance of access to feminine hygiene products for all, sophomores Anna Newberry, Mira Nalbandian, Santi Lugo and Mason Paul model their future club plans. Newberry believes inaccessibility of products can lead to health issues, embarrassment and even a lack of belonging. “I want to stock bathrooms with feminine hygiene products to help reduce stigma and embarrassment that can come with having a period,” Newberry said. “I know [I] haven’t come to school before because I was embarrassed and wanted to go home, or I was in pain or didn’t have what I needed to have. I feel like everyone has a right to be here, and I feel like no one should feel like they can’t come to school.”](https://PWestPathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/gowitflow-900x600.jpg)
![Aside from learning rowing techniques and mindset skills, junior Emma Wistuba also spends time bonding with friends during her month-long stay. The girls resided in dorm rooms and spent breaks getting to know one another. “There are always going to be people that you don't get along [with] and ODP helped me overcome that. I knew I wasn't going to [immediately] get along with everybody, so I went out of my way to be nice and do things,” Wistuba said. “One night, the whole floor came into my room, and we started making friendship bracelets. That's what we did, and we just had fun. That's important for my future because I'm going to have to do that around people who I really don't like, and it's important that you can take those people and turn them into people that you can be friends with.”](https://PWestPathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/IMG_1941-900x675.jpg)
![Scooping ingredients to fill the MannaPack, sophomores Aliana Sawall, Sarah Boland and Anna Newberry laugh over spilled rice Saturday, Aug. 17, at Greensfelder Recreation Complex in Queeny Park. Donations to Feed My Starving Children (FMSC) helped to purchase rice, soy, dried vegetables and vitamins, which then got packaged and sent to children in need. “We learned to not yell when one of us spilled something and to communicate better so that no one poured something into the funnel when the bag wasn’t opened yet,” Newberry said. “From this, [I gained] understanding that everyone is different, but we can still find a way to work together and be a unit.”](https://PWestPathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/IMG_4302-900x675.jpg)
![Working on his novella before the approaching publishing date, senior Hayden Riehl hopes to grow both his understanding of the world around him and the world’s understanding of him. “I find writing for storytelling to be incredibly therapeutic, just from some of the stories that people have written in class that I've [seen],” Riehl said. “It was them literally working through a trauma that they've had in the past or something that they're trying to get their own heads wrapped around. Stories can do that. They can help you navigate a sea of your own thoughts.”](https://PWestPathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Hayden-2-Judd-1-900x600.jpg)
